#like this is reminding me of when wills actor in stranger things did an interview saying will isnt gay

[b-dwolf]

for personal reasons i am not believing a word that loser says and going to continue to live my best life in a world where loki and mobius are in love thank you <3

[pochiperpe90]

[L’Officiel Hommes] Luca Marinelli, rising star of Italian cinema

To win his first film role, Luca Marinelli agreed to put on sixteen kilos. For the second, he had to shave his whole body and learn to walk in heels more than eight inches high.

"If I believe in the part, there is nothing I'm not willing to do," says the twenty-six-year-old protagonist of ‘The Solitude of Prime Numbers’, the film by Saverio Costanzo presented at last year's edition of the Venice Film Festival.

To play the role of a boy devoured by guilt due to an accident that happened to his sister, Marinelli did not hesitate to ruin his athletic physique by gorging himself on fats and carbohydrates, and giving up any activity for three months. As soon as he could, he started running again to lose the extra pounds. Between football and swimming he has always been used to playing sports. But the forced immobility had atrophied his muscles, and at the end of the first runs he ended up vomiting his soul from the effort. After a month of intense exercise, however, he had already lost the extra pounds.

"Changing your body makes you feel more vulnerable and you become prey to irrational fears: when I was fat I was afraid of dying every time I took the stairs, when I was hairless I was afraid that my eyebrows would never grow back," says the actor while he eats a salad sitting at the bar of the Palazzo della Triennale in Milan. "But it's always a very interesting experience", he continues, absently stroking the hairs on his forearm, still growing since the end of the shooting of “L’ultimo terrestre”, a film that will be released next year by Gipi, an Italian illustrator making his debut behind the movie camera. It’s a love story set against the backdrop of an invasion of extraterrestrials, in which Marinelli plays the role of a transvestite friend of the protagonist. To prepare for the part, the actor watched dozens of crossdresser and transgender footage and had to practice for hours walking with extravagant stilts instead of shoes.

“I was told that, as a woman, I move well and I'm quite beautiful. In short, the experience gave me a certain satisfaction”, he jokes, winking with gray-blue eyes.

Compared to the film debut of ‘Solitude of Prime Numbers’, this new film offers him a smaller role and visibility. But Marinelli is not concerned about this. He knows he was very lucky to end on the red carpet of one of the most important festivals in the world with the first film. And he would almost feel calmer if his career were to continue more gradually.

"It was so lightning fast that I was not prepared. Venice was a wonderful experience but I was in panic. In the evening I came home with a terrible headache, I felt like I had two tight screws in my skull. I almost felt at fault to start out so great. And now I'm happy to start again slowly”.

Marinelli finished high school in 2006 and three years later graduated from the Silvio D'Amico Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome. Before being chosen by Costanzo for the feature film that gave him notoriety with the public, he had already played several roles in the theater with directors such as Carlo Cecchi and Michele Monetta. His father, actor and film voice actor, tried to introduce him to the world of entertainment as a child, without achieving great results. He had made him voice the voices of Tip and Tap, the grandchildren of Mickey Mouse from the cartoons, and had offered him some amateur roles. Despite being fascinated by the profession, however, the son didn’t feel cut out to be an actor.

“As a child I was shy. I liked being the center of attention, but only with people I had a lot of confidence with. More than being observed, I was interested in observing the lives of others. Not the present ones, but the past ones”.

After high school, Marinelli enrolled in the faculty of archeology in Rome. But after two months in which he attended only lessons that had nothing to do with his course, he realized that the university wasn’t for him and threw himself into acting, overcoming the fears he carried within him since he was a child. Even today, however, it retains some of that shyness. To the point that, whenever he is about to go on stage, he has to resort to small exorcising rites to reduce tension and cancel thoughts. And when we ask him how it feels to tell a complete stranger about himself, he confesses to being a little nervous.

"This is my second interview. From the first, I came out as some kind of psycho. I hope this time it goes better”, he jokes.

He has pain in his neck from a fall that occurred a few days earlier and moves his torso in a slightly stiffly way. He jumped on the ball and crashed to the ground during a game of "calciotto", the eight-a-side football that is popular in Rome, the city where he was born and raised. Every time he turns his head he makes a grimace of pain. Apart from that, Marinelli seems to be quite at ease, and does not resort to clichés. Nor does he try to hide behind sophisticated characters: he wears a blue shirt, military green trousers and brown jacket, in a style that he simply defines "for men", made up of garments unearthed among vintage shops and thrift stalls rather than in the boutiques of the big names. He loves to run around with his bike, although he admits that the longest trip he has done was from Rome to Fregene with a friend. And as soon as he has a free moment he takes his dog Nonò, a foundling dachshund who also follows him on tour, and takes him around the capital for long walks in the company of Sandy, the dog who lives in his parents' house.

Even though he’s aware of the difficulties and uncertainties he risks facing in his profession, he speaks of his dreams with passion and without anguish. He would like to pursue a project as a director and is enthusiastic about the collaboration with Cecchi in “Sogno di una notte di mezza estate”, a piece with which he will tour Italy between November and February.

"I know that being an actor is a job with a very high risk of failure and depression, but for the moment I try to live this lucky moment to the fullest."

Marinelli is not religious, but he’s particularly fascinated by the figure of Christ. He loves reading books and watching films that tell the Nazarene in his human dimension (from the Gospel according to Matthew by Pasolini to Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ), because when he sees a miracle he feels the "smell of burning" and is immediately distracted.

"The story of Jesus, understood as a simple person, is a proof of the wonderful things that man is capable of. And studying it helps to understand how far we live from the example that has been given to us".

Among the dreams in the drawer, remains to work with Eimuntas Nekrošius, the Lithuanian theater director who recently staged Albert Camus' Caligula in Rome. And with Pedro Almodovar, the master of Spanish cinema whose language he knows well. In fact, Marinelli's father spent his childhood in Argentina and passed on to his son his love for Spanish, which Luca speaks with a slight South American inflection.

Of course, the situation in Italy for novice actors is not reassuring. Most of his fellow academics are still looking for work. The lucky ones earn a few euros by acting in the theater or making fiction which is exhausting for the body and demoralizing for the spirit. The others are making a living with alternative uses waiting to be discovered.

“I'm working, but not because I'm the best of those who came out of my class. Luck matters a lot. In Italy the environment is closed and there is little money. Abroad, however, it seems that this art is much more accessible".

His response is interrupted by a strange sigh that sounds like a whale song. It’s the ringtone of his cell phone, a reconstruction of the original music used in the Greek tragedy. Marinelli doesn’t respond, but begins to show signs of unease. He noted that the Palazzo della Triennale hosts an exhibition of Pasolini's portraits that he would like to see. He has little time left, but he adores the poet and insists on entering.

Inside the exhibition, observe the black and white photos taken by Dino Pedriali in 1975 which show the artist reading in his villa in Chia, writing on an Olivetti 22 and walking on a bridge in Sabaudia with his hair down from the wind. Then he stops in front of a photo of Pasolini naked, portrayed in his bedroom.

"What a fascinating man, in this image he reminds me of the bad lieutenant in Abel Ferrara's film," he says as he heads towards the exit. Then, unexpectedly, he turns to his interviewer and asks him with the relieved tone of someone who knows he has completed a business: "Prof, how did the exam go?".

“I'd give you a nice twenty-eight”, we reply according to the game.

"Okay, I accept it".

L’Officiel Hommes

Just wanted to translate this old interview for the non-italian’s fans ^^ (sorry for my English)  

[skyking91-archive]

contract || sky & mat

Discord thread featuring: Sky & @mathieuberinut

When: September 23, 2020

Where: Mat’s manager’s office

Mentions: @samuelburton

Description: Sky signs a contract agreeing to be Mat’s fake girlfriend to help keep him in the closet

Trigger Warnings: some internalize homophobia maybe????? 

Mathieu

Mat didn’t really want to do this but he knew his management was right. Ever since his name became known, he hadn’t once been connected with some girl who the tabloids could say he was dating. It was starting to look a little suspicious, especially after the photos that came out last week. He wasn’t on a date with that actor, they were just hanging around as friends but the internet went crazy. His management were clear that if he wanted to stay in the closet, something needed to be done about it. And if it could act as publicity for upcoming movie, even better. Chasity suggested a girl called Sky when he talked to her and, after giving the name to his people, they made quick work on setting up a meeting. He walked in five minutes late and sat down, trying to get an impression on what Sky was like.

Sky.

Since Sky was pretty much set on giving up prostitution and escorting so that she could get back together with Sam, she needed to find a job. The theater wasn't enough to keep her loft and lifestyle, and even if she was going to work at Jaycee's studio she knew that still wouldn't be enough. Sky knew she was superficial and cared a little bit too much about material things, but could you blame the girl? She grew up with nothing. And now that she had something, she didn't want to let that go. When Chas had told her about this job opportunity with her up and coming actor brother, she figured that it would be a perfect compromised for Sam. He didn't seem too thrilled about it, but she knew that he liked it a whole lot better than her escorting. And she was career orientated; he knew that she wasn't going to give up her work so easily. This dude though was already getting on her nerves because he was so late. Sky was never late. She always kept her appointments and she and found it fucking rude that he was even five minutes late. Sky looked at the skinny man who sat down in front of her, and sized him up. She was supposed to be dating him? Jesus. "Sky King." She said, holing out her hand across the table for the actor to shake.

Mathieu

Mat could already tell that this was going to be a long meeting. Not necesarily because they had a lot to say, but more because he didn't do very well with strangers and so this was bound to feel like an eternity. In hindsight, Mat really wished he asked his sister to introduce them before giving her number to his management and leaving them to take care of everything. After all, he was the one who was going to have to date her...sort of. He gave her a smile that he wasn't sure even reached his eyes and shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you." Not really, but he wasn't about to say that. He needed to at least try to make a good impression considering how much time they were going to have to spend together. "Mathieu Berinut but you can just call me Mat." He looked around in curiosity, then turned back to Sky. "Have they told you what would be expected of you already?"

Sky.

Sky had met a handful of famous people in her life; living in Kingsboro made that pretty easy. Some of them were down to earth, whereas others tended to be real pricks. This guy seemed somewhere in the middle, but only time could tell what he was really like. And Sky was sure that she would get to know this man very well. "Pleasure." She nodded. Sky was such a goof ball and knew how to have fun, but in settings like this she was very classy and professional. Chas knew that, which was probably one of the reasons she suggested Sky for this job. "Not much. Just that I'd be going to a lot fo appearances with you. And that I'd obviously have to keep my own relationship on the down-low. I've been someone's fake girlfriend before. A friend..." Eevee was still a sore topic for her and it looked like she didn't need to be her fake girlfriend anymore since she couldn't even remember her to begin with and seemed all buddy-buddy with her parents now. "So I'm pretty good at this. What else should I know?" She asked, raising her brow.

Mathieu

Mat felt pretty bad when she mentioned her own relationship. Chas hadn’t told him that Sky was seeing someone and he really didn’t want to be the cause of any relationship troubles but then he reminded himself that she agreed. His management made an offer and then it was up to Sky to decide whether it was something she was willing to do, he didn’t force her. “That’s pretty much it, yeah. Appearances, premieres...that sort of thing. And obviously some social media posts to show that we’re hanging out”, he explained. At her question, Mat couldn’t help tense up a little. Considering she was doing this, he knew that Sky needed to be told the whole truth but it still made him freeze. “Uh...you should probably know why I’m doing this in the first place. Apart from publicity there’s also the fact that I’m...bi. Obviously that’s not common knowledge though and I don’t want it to be. So you’ll also have to sign a non-disclosure agreement to make sure that doesn’t leave this room.”

Sky.

“Sound.” Sky wasn’t opposed to posting about Mat on social media. She’d rather post about her own boyfriend, but she recognized that this gig was going to be really good for her own career. She loves being at Bullskits, but she didn’t want to be on off Broadway her whole life. She furrowed her brows at his next words, grabbing on of her braids and twisting it around in her finger. Sky was bi too, but never once felt the need to hide who she was. Not in her adult life at least. She pressed her lips together, debating on saying what she really wanted to say and fearing she’d come off too judge mental. She leaned over the table slightly and cocked her head. “You’re paying me all this money because you don’t want to come out?” Of course Sky knew there were plenty of reasons people didn’t want to come out, and the poor man probably had some serious trauma with it. She sat back in her seat and took a deep breath. “But that’s fine. I won’t tell anyone. I’ll sign.” She told him flatly.

Mathieu

Mat narrowed his eyes, not appreciating being called out like this. It was easy to judge him for doing this rather than coming out but no one knew about what he went through. His sister told their parents that she was dating a girl and they lost it. They completely disowned her and wouldn’t listen to reason, even when she kept trying to tell them that she liked boys too. If that wasn’t traumatic enough, then there was also the little detail that he went for a career where his personal life stopped being private. He was seen in a few photos with another guy and people went crazy. Mat wasn’t ready to face the judgement associated with coming out, and he doubted he ever would. “Sure, I’m paying you all this money to help me look good in the public eye and get me some publicity for my next movie not to pass comments about what I choose to do with my own life.” He was going to have a long word with Chasity about the people she suggested for a fake girlfriend. “Good. I don’t think I need to tell you what would happen if you were to break it after signing.”

Sky.

Well that shut the actress up real fast. She still thought he was a fucking prick but it was his choice if he wanted to come out the closer or not. Sky was gorgeous, good in front of cameras and crowds, classy, fashionable, and always knew the right thing to say. She was actually perfect for this job and the zeros on the contract in front of her made this impossible to turn down for whatever reason. She finally let out one big deep breath and attempted not to roll her eyes at his pretentious comment. “Fine.” She agreed, nodding. “Where do I sign?” Holding her hand out for him to give her a pen.

Mathieu

Mat hoped that at least his sister was right in saying that Sky was the best to act as his fake girlfriend. So far, he was not very impressed with what he was seeing but it was more because of her attitude than because of her skill. It’s not like he had much of an opportunity to see her in action. He picked up the contract left to him by his management and found the last page, where Sky’s signature was required and he handed her both the contract and a pen. “Here you go. Is there anything I need to know about you before you sign?”

Sky.

Sky knew she was going to be good at this job. She was a natural at it and had been arm candy for men for years. She has to admit, the idea of being in the public eye was a little daunting. But Sky had dreams of her own; singing, acting and dancing on stage — she would most likely be a natural in front of the cameras and during interviews. This was going to be such an amazing opportunity when it came to her career, and all the money sheas being offered made it possible to afford the luxurious lifestyle she was living while working as a high end escort. This was a no brainer. “Nope. Let’s do this.” She said, picking up the pen and signing on the dotted line.

Mathieu

Mat knew that he should probably warn her of what being in the public eye meant. Any sort of private life went out of the window and pretending they were together meant that they couldn’t be seen dating anyone else. This wouldn’t be much of a problem for him but he wasn’t sure he could say the same about Sky. Going through it all would be endless though and Mat wanted to spare himself more judgement about his coming out or lack of it. Management could go through all the “rules” with her. He watched as she signed the contract then took the pen from her and did the same on the other side. “Well...I guess we’re dating now.”

[anotheroneatstheass]

Somebody To Love - Part One

So something went wrong and it looked like this got deleted so I’m reposting it whilst I finish off part two.

Synopsis here (It’s ended up changing a bit from this)

Like I’ve already said this is the first thing I’ve written in so long so if you have any comments or criticisms let me know. 

Word count: 3k+ Warnings: Swearing, drinking, smoking, hints at smut. Probably some spelling/grammer mistakes

Walking the red carpet was something you had dreamed about for as long as you could remember. You’d spent your whole life desperately wanting to become an actress but as the years went on you realised just how difficult it was. Of course you studied Drama at school and university in an attempt to make your dream a reality, but by the age of 25 you were working three crappy jobs just so you could help pay rent. Those jobs stopping you ever having enough time to eat or sleep, never mind attending any auditions. That was why you were so eager to grab at any opportunity that could have lead you closer to this goal.

–One month before filming–

For the past few weeks, all Katie had been able to talk about was the fact that there was going to be a film about her favourite band, Queen. When she found out her uncle would be working on set as some kind or producer her excitement reached a whole new level. Immediately she began begging him for any kind of job or even just a chance to visit the set and see an actual film being made however every time she asked he gave her the same answer. He’d ask around. Katie had begun to lose hope of being able to attend the set during the months they’d be filming, that was until she finally got a phone call from someone else on the set. You sighed as she sat there on the phone for almost an hour. Looking between her and the paused film you both had been watching as she continued talking to whoever was disrupting your movie.

After what felt like forever she finally hung up, turning to look at you with a massive grin on her face. “Y/n, guess what?” She said acting extremely giddy before continuing “We’re going to be on that set, they’ve given us both jobs!” She jumped up and down with excitement as you laughed watching her. It would be a lie if you said you weren’t excited about it also.

You spent the next year hanging out on set and in rehearsals. You originally thought you’d be spending all day getting coffee and making sure everything was perfect for picky actors, but it was far different than that. Most of the time you were messing around during the boy’s breaks and heading to the pub at the end of the week. You had grown close to the cast, very close to a certain blonde in particular. A day didn’t go past without you and Ben messaging each other. The rest of your little group liked to mock the pair of you for this, often calling you ‘The Couple’ of the group. You both laughed it off each time it happened. Truth be told you were completely fine with this, Ben was kind, smart, cute. What’s not to like about him? But he regularly reminded you and the others that you were just friends, even if you often hoped he’d say something different.

It was finally the night of the London premiere. After all those months of hard work you’d watched the boys go through, you were finally going to see the finished product on the big screen. You’d been invited along, officially as their assistants again but it would have felt weird if you hadn’t come along. You looked down as you held their belongings, a reminder that you weren’t there promoting a film you were in like you desperately wanted to, but if this was going to be the closest you’d get then you would be fine with that. You kept looking over at the boys as they continued posing for pictures, occasionally picking up one of their phones and taking pictures of each other to annoy them once they got their phones back.

“Y/n!” Katie exclaimed, nudging you. It seemed you’d stopped posing with her to stare at the boys, one in particular. You’d be lying if you said they didn’t look attractive, especially all dressed up for the premiere, but your eyes had fallen on Ben. It felt as if he was teasing you with the way he looked so good in his suit, particularly with the sheer shirt he had chosen. It wasn’t long before she was waving her hand in front of your face trying to pull your eyes away from him and over to her. You moved your head, pretending you weren’t doing anything.

“Yes?” you said as innocent as possible, not realising your cheeks had gone red.

“You’re staring at Ben again” Katie wasn’t wrong, but you didn’t want anyone to know about the crush you felt for him.

“What do you mean ‘again’?” You said continuing to walk.

“Y/n, you can barely keep your eyes off him.” She smirked. You ignored her this time as Gwilym came over to get his phone from the two of you so he could take some photos. You mumbled something about not wanting to talk about it as you both started making your way inside to find your seats

You both sat down in your seats, looking over at the empty seats around the pair of you. The boys had to wait until the hundreds of people outside had all found their seats before they could even start the interview part. You turned and looked at Katie as she scrolled through her phone “So is Joe coming over again tonight?” You asked praying she’d say no. A couple months into filming Joe and Katie started dating in secret and as cute as they were together they’d made you despise the fact that you had to share a wall with them.

“Well, we need to celebrate his new film don’t we?” She said smirking back at you only to be met by you rolling your eyes at her answer. “You know you could try and get with someone tonight at the party?” She continued looking around trying to see if any of the guests were near-by. It wasn’t going to be a huge party seeing as the boys all had press interviews the next day, but you were excited to get pissed. Who was going to see you hungover?

“You know just once you could go to Joe’s flat?” You replied ignoring her comment about getting with someone. You used to do things like that, hooking up with anyone who was willing. But now you wanted proper relationships, meaningful ones. Not drunkenly waking up next to a stranger.

Eventually, everyone had found their seats and the film was playing the iconic 20th-Century Fox logo. You and Katie mimed the guitar silently giggling with each other as the cast all joined you and sat down. You looked over at Ben beside you as his leg bobbed up and down. He was clearly nervous. You smiled at him and rested your hand on his knee and giving it a quick squeeze. There’s no need to be worried.” you said smiling up at him before taking your hand away. A few seconds later you glanced over at him to see him staring at where your hand had been. You understood why he was so nervous. It was one thing to play a character for a film, but to play a real person who was sat just behind you watching the film must have been on a whole different level of terrifying.

You were on your feet joining in with the standing ovation as soon as the end credits began. You watched the boys shake hands and hug the people around them as you continued clapping. Eventually, they turned around to the two of you, Joe going straight over to Katie. You smiled watching them whispering to each other as you hugged the rest of the cast, eventually getting to Ben as he finished talking to Roger. You wrapped your arms around him as he pulled you closer. “That was so good” you mumbled against his chest as he moved his hand up to wipe away the tears you didn’t realise had started streaming down your face.

“Told you you would cry. You owe me £20″ He held out his hand, reminding you of the bet you had made the week before.

“I’m not going to give you money because I cried, that's not fair,” you said stepping back as you wiped your face. “I’ll buy you a drink later but I’m not giving you £20″ you said laughing. He agreed before turning around at the sound of his name being called by someone wanting to congratulate him.

It took an hour leaving the premiere, you were just thankful you didn’t have to walk too far to the party. You followed your friends over to a table at the back of the room as everyone tried to squeeze themselves around it. You all took it in turns buying rounds for the table, slowly losing count of how many drinks you’d all had, but the mountain of empty glasses that had appeared in front of you all was certainly a huge guess that you’d be hungover the next day. You sat there joking with your friends, occasionally looking over at Ben to see him staring ahead in silence.

After twenty minutes had gone without him saying anything you stood up, trying to hide the wobble as you did so, and held your hand out for Ben. “I’m going for a smoke, want to come with?” You stared at him waiting for him to agree as he eventually put his hand in yours as he stood up, leading you both outside in silence.

You watched him as he pulled a cigarette out and lit it, you doing the same. “What's up Ben? You’re supposed to be celebrating but I’ve barely heard a word from you tonight.” You said watching his face to see if he would even answer you.

“I’m fine” he mumbled not looking at you. You sighed stepping closer to him “You can tell me anything you know” you said putting a hand on his arm.

“I said I’m fine!” He snapped looking at you. You were shocked. Ben never acted in any way other than kind towards you. You mumbled something about going back inside as you turned around and put your cigarette out, heading towards the door. His hand on your wrist stopped you though as pulled you back towards him. “I’m sorry, I just don’t want to talk about it.” He said looking away from your face.

You pulled out another cigarette for yourself after barely smoking your last one as the pair of you stood there in silence. A few minutes passed before you turned to him “You should grow your hair out. You looked cute as Roger” you muttered looking up at his hair. He always looked nice but you couldn’t help but remember all the times you saw him walking around on set in the wig.  

“You thought I looked cute?” Ben said with a smirk playing on his lips. You looked at him not knowing quite how to answer that without making it obvious about your feelings towards him. The blush spreading across your face, however, made it very obvious.

“Yeah…it really suited you. I heard the girl behind us saying you looked cute, just thought you’d like to know” you said hoping he didn’t think it was coming from you.

Ben laughed a little bit still looking at you. “You looked cute in it as well,” He said pulling out his phone to find the picture of you both wearing matching wigs.

“I can’t believe you saved that” You said laughing as you grabbed the phone from his hands looking at it “You were supposed to be filming then you weren’t supposed to see us trying on the wigs” You said thinking back on that day, the sight of the boys losing it as they walked in on you and Katie trying them on is something that always made you laugh.

The two of you discussed the set with each other, remembering funny stories and laughing at them all over again. “Did you enjoy the movie?” Ben asked you suddenly, turning to face you with his body as he leaned against the wall. Even the most mundane things suddenly seemed hot when he did it.

“I already told you I loved it.” You said thinking back to your tears at the premiere. “Which reminds me, you are still owed a drink” You continued saying heading back towards the door with Ben.

You’d barely touched the door handle when your friends swung it open as they left the party. “I thought you went home?” Gwilym looked over at the pair of you as you laughed at Joe stumble towards the taxi rank as he leaned on Katie. “No, we were actually just about to go get some more drinks, are you all leaving?” You said frowning as they all nodded.

“Gwil and Rami are being boring I want to drink more” Joe shouted, clearly not realising how drunk he was.

“You’ve had enough love, c’mon lets go home” Katie tried to pull Joe away as he started walking over, shouting something about needing to say bye to Ben. You chuckled at their childish behaviour, Joe acting like he was never going to see his friend again as he pulled him in for a hug.

As they all drove away you and Ben walked back inside. It was significantly quieter now, causing you both to realise you’d spent a lot longer outside than you originally thought. You stood next to Ben at the bar as he spoke to the bartender too quietly for you to hear.

“What the fuck did you order?” You said in shock as you watched the bartender pour two drinks and an unnecessary amount of shots, “Who do you suppose is going to drink those?”

“We are” Ben laughed at your angry face as he passed you a shot. “C’mon you can’t make me drink all ten, that would kill me” He smirked watching you bring it up to your face to smell it. You watched Ben to make sure he was going to drink his shot as well before drinking it, swallowing it before you could properly taste it. It burnt your throat as it went down, but barely a second later Ben was putting another in your hand.

Ben continued buying drinks, not letting you pay once. You had no idea how many you had had by this point but you weren’t about to start complaining. You stayed at the party downing drinks and shots until you picked up your phone realising it was 2:30am. You put your empty glass on the table as you stood up, nearly falling straight back in your chair. “Ben,” you said getting his attention and showing him the time “We need to go, you have interviews in the morning.” You grabbed your bag as you waited for Ben to finish his drink.

The pair of you stumbled outside, heading towards the same Taxi rank your friends has gone to earlier in the night. You stood there shivering waiting for one to take you home as Ben wrapped his arms around you. “You’re freezing,” he said pulling you closer to him as you wrapped your arms around his waist looking up at him. “What? Have I got something on my face?” He said seeing you staring up at him. You mumbled a no, but didn't take your eyes off of him.

You both stood there in silence, enjoying each others company until the taxi arrived. You climbed in after Ben, immediately leaning onto him and closing your eyes as he told the driver where to go. You wrapped an arm around his waist as he gently ran his hand along your back.

You woke up twenty minutes later to Ben shaking you lightly “Y/n…y/n we’re here” He said as he gave the taxi driver his money. Ben sighed as you leaned on to him more not wanting to wake up. All of a sudden you felt his arms snake around you as he picked you up, carrying out of the taxi. You laughed wrapping your arms around his neck “Ben! What are you doing?” You kicked your legs careful not to actually hit him until he put you down outside your door. “Why didn’t you stay in that taxi?” You said watching the taxi drive away. “How the hell do you suppose you’re going to get home?” You sighed as you began digging around your purse for your keys.

Ben shrugged “I’ll walk, its not that far.” he said watching you struggle to get your key in the door in your drunken state.

“It’ll take you like two hours, you can sleep on the sofa.” You said as you opened the door to see Katie standing there watching you. “Ah so you finally got the door open” She laughed. You jumped back not expecting to see her and pushed Ben away so she wouldn’t see him. You weren’t in the mood for anything she might have said to the two of you.

“I thought you’d be in bed, didn’t you say you were celebrating tonight?” You asked hinting at what she had said earlier about her and Joe’s activities for the night.

“Yeah we were going to but then he passed out as soon as he got in there. I thought you’d be getting some action, to be honest, you’re never this late.” She said laughing at you, not knowing Ben was stood there listening.

“And who do you suppose I’d be doing that with,” You said before quickly adding “Don’t answer that” before she had the chance to tell you exactly who you knew she would say.

Katie just laughed at you as she began walking away “I’m going to bed, and shut the damn door would you?” You waited until she was in her room before pulling Ben back into your flat.

“So who does she think you’d be sleeping with that you clearly don’t want me to know about?” Ben said smirking knowing exactly who she meant.

You blushed not wanting to tell him as you pulled him into your apartment. All of a sudden you were pulled back, your body landing onto Ben’s pushing him down on to the floor. “Fuck!” you yelled as you both hit the floor. You looked down at Ben laughing a bit “What was that for?”

Now it was Ben’s turn to be silent as he looked up at you, looking into your eyes before down at your lips. You bit your lip watching his eyes move across your face. After what felt like forever you felt his hands grabbing either side of your face and pulling you closer to his, kissing you passionately. The two of you kept going, making out on the floor in the hallway, before you eventually pulled away, desperate for air. You continued to look at his face “What was that for?” you muttered against his lips. Before he had a chance to open his mouth and answer you heard a noise coming from the other end of the hall. You jumped up as quick as you could in your current state, pulling Ben up with you, and quickly ran into your room slamming the door behind you.

You looked over at Ben again as he leaned in to kiss you, wrapping his arms around your waist as yours went straight up to his hair, wrapping it around your fingers. You could taste the alcohol on his lips as he ran his tongue across your lip. You moaned as he slipped his tongue in, moving your bodies even closer to each other. His hands moved over to the zip on your dress as he began leaving kisses along your neck. You slipped your arms out of it letting it fall to the ground and made a start in unbuttoning Ben’s shirt. You’re hands immediately went to his chest as you moaned from his warm hands meeting your cold body.

The rest of the night became a drunken blur. In fact, when you first woke up the next morning you didn’t even remember anything happening, that was until you heard the snoring from next to you. You rolled over and saw him lying with his back towards you, however the soft snores leaving him told you he was still asleep. In your shock you pulled the covers over you and jumped back, causing you to fall off the bed with a bang. You prayed that you didn’t wake him up but of course it did. You watched him look around a bit, trying to work out where he was before his eyes landed on you trying to hide your naked body under the blanket. “Y/n” he mumbled looking at you “did we…?” he looked back around. There were clothes flung everywhere, it looked as if a bomb had hit your room it was so messy. You didn’t even answer Ben, wanting to simply pretend he wasn’t there. You couldn’t believe you had done it.

The pair of you got dressed in silence, Ben putting on the same clothes he had on the night before whilst you opted for some pyjama shorts and a jumper, before opening your bedroom door in an attempt to sneak him out, however that was harder than you imagined. You were immediately met with Katie and Joe staring at you both from the kitchen.

“Fun night?” Joe said laughing at the two of you. Well, now you were well and truly fucked.

[hunterartemis]

The Assistant (Newt Scamander X OC): Chapter 1: Pilot

I intend to write a miniseries on this, have some ideas on it, wanna try it. So bored with Valentines cheesy stuff. May range form comedy to Romance to drama. 

chapter Summary: Newt returns home from Paris (six months from the Grindlewald fiasco) and Bunty is gone. So he needs a new assistant. She seems okay, but things don’t go just as planned.

Word Count: 2064

Chapter theme:  Agitato I - Schlitten, By Alfred Schnittke, from The Story of an Unknown Actor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0iFW4sSgkE

“So what is your name again?” Newt asked while he skimmed through the papers the woman placed before him.

“Audrey Page. I passed Hogwarts at 1920, had potions, charms, transfiguration, Defence against the Dark Arts and Animal Husbandry at my NEWTs.”

“So why do you think you are fit for this job?” Newt asked the third entry of today.

That’s the third time he was saying this sentence and he was losing it already. Not because it was absolutely tiring when people just showed up to ogle at his face, and not for the job, but he was seriously bummed that Bunty left him for another man.

She was really good at her job.

“Well, I consider myself an animal lover, and over the years I have learned the art of patience and not to question my superiors.” Newt wasn’t really expecting this, because that wasn’t like the star-struck babbling that he was hearing from the previous interviews. That last bit struck a bit sarcastic to Newt, however he sensed that she was saying all this to butter him up, she needs this job and will do whatever it takes; unlike the other candidates who are just there to get a whiff of his fame and go. She was desperate and serious.

“That’s... quite diplomatic of you.”Newt commented softly, cautiously looking at her way, trying to be professional but his anxiety of making eye contact with another human was brushing on his mind now and then. Audrey, the interviewee was sitting straight without fidgeting. That comforted him to a degree, because sometime when Bunty fidgeted all over the place and it made him anxious that he did something wrong.

“With four siblings grown up and a father as strict, one needs the best sets of skills one can find.” She added with a sardonic smile, but Newt found nothing funny about that. With his sensitive mind he felt a hint of oppression in her upbringing. This filled his mind with sadness and bitterness as she started to remind him of a certain old friend who died recently. He lost in his own train of thought, and then suddenly remembered what was in front of him.

“Well... you can start right away...“ Newt nervously asserted, and judging by the silence of his interviewee, he halfway looked at her again, she was quite in suspicion about his statement. “Well, did I not confirm your job...? “ Newt said a little more firmly, getting flustered whenever his assertiveness is misread. After all assertiveness is not his strongest suit.

“Oh-yes sir, thank you for this opportunity.” she took off her gauntlet glove and led it forward for Newt to shake it. Newt, taking her hand briefly, shook it and told her to come at 9 AM sharp.

With the last creak of door at 7 PM at the evening, Newt could finally breathe in peace. With the interviews over, he can now rest and go back with his life. To think more practically, he didn’t need an assistant at all before. But when he blew up half his apartment last time, his brother Theseus practically conjured Bunty from air.

“Hire an assistant, or someday I will have to read The Magizoologist found dead in his apartment: strange animal marks on him.”

And that really spoiled him to death.

He hoped that this time won’t be such a collateral damage. He really liked this young woman, Audrey. She has confidence.

CLANK

Whoever wrote the proverb ‘it will come when you least expect it’, must knew a couple of nifflers. Newt reminded himself to remove the shiny switch from his lamp... again.

...

The next day, as Newt was struggling to finish his breakfast with chasing the niffler babies around, a soft knock issued. Newt opened the door and found a stranger young woman standing at his door. Newt first became quite unarmed as she was quite elegantly dressed in navy-and-charcoal coloured silk, staring straight at him. On the other hand, he was halfway through his work dress. He peered behind the half opened door and asked nervously,

“Yes... may I help you? “

The woman stood speechless for a moment, “Mr. Scamander, I am your new assistant, I was to join today at--” she took out a fob watch out of her waist pocket, “at 9 AM sharp by your orders?” she added with equal amount of surprise and heat.

Newt slapped his head and opened his door fully, easing himself on the fact that she was no stranger woman, but Miss Page, the third candidate from yesterday, “oh yes... Miss Page, come in come in...”

Audrey came inside and Newt noticed she was avoiding his gaze; in fact she looked quite uncomfortable. Wondering what could have upset her he closed the door, and started to apologise about the morning, “you must excuse me, I am not good at remembering faces, so it will take me quite an amount of time to get comfortable around you.”

“That is quite fine, Mr. Scamander...” she added avoiding eye contact, desperately trying to look away, “... is the beast chamber that way?” she pointed at a random direction, and started to pace herself as soon Newt said, “second door down the hall.” and when the realization hit him that he was just wearing his long unbuttoned work-shirt and dressing gown only, he felt so embarrassed that he swore that he would die. Not only it was immensely unprofessional, but he also unintentionally flashed his perpetually elegantly dressed new young assistant. Perhaps that’s the reason Bunty left after all.

Decenting himself up, he descended to his basement, trying his best to focus on his job. He never flustered with his previous assistant, and he wondered what was happening now. As soon as he descended he saw Audrey’s navy-and charcoal robes were littered at a side, as she was now wearing some kind of coarse cloth smock, and getting comfortable with the some Occamies. He fondly saw the Occamies cheerfully slithering about her arm, and she like a fond mother tended them with care. There were very few people in Newt’s life who were liked by the Occamy; not even Leta could get past them. 

“I see they have taken a shine on you...“ Newt said softly, and Audrey, startled by his voice and relieved by his decency nodded modestly, “yes... I had the privilege to get familiar with them in Japan. “

“So you are also a traveler then?” Newt asked softly, getting his push-cart ready, filling them with food for the Graphon.

“Not really... Dumbledore forced me to a summer internship at Mahoutokoro.” Audrey added, while rocking the Occamy chick in her arm, “at first I hated it, but their Care of Magical Creatures programme made me fell in love with the beasts.“

“Oh...” Newt didn’t push it further. He wanted to initiate a conversation but she had this incredible presence about her speech that forced him to retreat in his shell. The incident in the morning plagued him again and to distract himself he proceeded with feeding the Graphon.  With its tentacles, it was obediently eating the pork pieces Newt held out and suddenly there was a will of speech that sprung in Newt’s head.

‘Do you know that the name Occamy comes from the Japanese phrase Oo-kami--’

Audrey was so engrossed with the creatures that she was quite startled with Newt’s speech and dropped one of the chicks. This sudden alarm wasn’t quite accepted by the creatures and one of them buried their beak deep into Audrey’s right arm.

“Argh.... my arm... ” Audrey collapsed on the floor while Newt came running towards her. “I am extremely sorry... I didn’t realise--”

“It’s okay Mr. Scamander... I am quite fine. You don’t have some Murtlap’s essence laying around on your workshop do you?” Audrey stood on her feet, almost staggering towards the stair as the perforated place in her arm started to turn blue.

“Absolutely not...” Newt paced himself and grabbed her arm and sat her down, “you will sit right here while I fix something...” Newt ran to his little workshop and Audrey heard several sounds of crushing and thudding, and sat quietly on the staircase, near the replica of the River Beauly where she could see the Kelpie’s weedy fins surface often.

Audrey turned around as Newt descended quickly with a stone pestle and mortar in his hand. Audrey attempted to stand up, with her eyes roaming all over him. He at first put the mortar at levitation near where Audrey was standing. For a few moments she wasn’t sure what he was going to do, and then with a soft motion, she swore she heard him mumble,

“Excuse me for this....”

For a moment she didn’t know what he was talking about, but what he did next was beyond her imagination.

“I am going to s-suck the venom out of y-your arm...” Newt babbled and as soon as his speech was over he engaged in his act. It was strangely endearing that he successfully hid beneath his tuft of hair and as soon as he was done, he brought the mortar and applied the cool bluish gray paste on the wound.

“You would have endangered yourself if you applied Murtlap essence over that.” Newt asserted with his usual nervousness, and Audrey felt quite relaxed and soothed as he was softly applying the ointment, “Murtlap essence doesn’t work on animal bites... it is more for the human made wounds, like swords and stuff.” His long thumb gently circled around and flattened the paste. “Occamy venom loses its power on a willing receiver... they are too pure to be vengeful you know--” Newt stood up on his feet and avoiding eye contact with Audrey swiftly descended. She was left speechless at that kind of an act.

Although it was her first day, she was sure that bosses and assistants don’t usually go like this. He had a reputation of being random, that she knew but it was way too much. 

On his defense, he did inform her about it though... although he barely mentions anything about “Occamy Venom” in his books. 

-- Besides it’s like performing CPR, there’s no beef about it!

Maybe it slipped his mind... better note to down in case it happens again.

...

Extended Ending

Finite...

The charm lifted from the front door and the lock moved itself to open. Audrey slipped in and locked the door with another charm, and then with another wave of wand lit the lights of the living room. Slipping off her fur scarf and pointed hat, she impatiently looked towards the right.

“Lampito, I want my tea...” she called out a little rudely and scampered when the flames in the fireplace started to flicker.

“Hello papa...” she courteously leaned in front of the fire, facing a middle aged man with dark hair and sharp eyes. Although it was hard to mark the features through the fire but he looked like a person who wasn’t to be crossed at any circumstances.

“Good evening, my dear... ” he said with sternness, “how was your day?”

“It is great papa” Audrey added with a false cheeriness, “as always. Mr. Scamander is a cordial superior; he does not strain me too much. With Grindlewald around we are always on our toes, aren’t we?” she tried to laugh it off, but her voice shook a little.

“Good... I hope you will soon be promoted to have your own office.” Her father commented, “Everything’s well here... I wish you good night.” and with abruptness, the fire was out.

“Your tea, Mistress...” a whizzy voice called her from the behind. A rather old house-elf placed the china set on the glass top baroque coffee table, and was taking Audrey’s satchel-bag to its rightful place.

“How many times I have to tell you... leave my bag alone!!!” Audrey screamed at Lampito, who, after breathing an apology disappeared in the dark. After the house elf disappeared, Audrey sealed the room with a charm so that no one could spy on her, and took a black bordered, ominously formal looking letter out of her bag. Under her well shaped finger, filigree like script peeked out, that read--

From the Department of Magical Law Enforcement,

An Order for Termination and Further discontinuity of Service

I am definitely testing the water around here. I never wrote an Hp fanfic even though it was the first fandom that I ever gotten into. Newt is an interesting character and I like to write about him. 

[ramenrulz8p]

The Handsome Boy Next Door

Pairing: Kang Daniel/Reader Summary: You lived in a quiet apartment building until someone finally moved into the apartment next to yours.  Tags: Fluffy Comedy with a dash of angst, mentions of Jeon Wonwoo (SVT), reader is an otaku Word Count: 4.1K A/N: I’d been meaning to write this in full fic form but I don’t think I’ll have the time so I decided why not do a scenario post? This is the short version of what what I originally wanted to write but I figured it was good enough XD Hope you guys enjoy!

You moved to an apartment building in your 2nd year of college because traveling from your house back to your campus was a PAIN.

(You could have stayed in a dorm but you did not like having to deal with curfew and the noise level)

Most of your neighbors were elderly women who always questioned why you weren’t dating or married yet.

It almost made you wish you stayed in a dorm, but it helped you master the art avoiding confrontation.

You lived next to the only empty apartment in your building because its owner had apparently passed away there. No one wanted to rent an apartment that might be haunted.

The landlord had been trying to lease that room for AGES and you’d thought she’d given up. But one day, a year and half later, you heard noises from the apartment next door. You were lowkey freaking out because what if it was really haunted???

Then you looked out your window and saw a moving truck below. You stuck your head out into the hallway to see people moving furniture into the apartment next to yours.

You texted your landlord to ask if someone had moved in next door and she seemed happier than she’d been in a LONG time. She’d managed to find someone who was willing to move into the apartment and she made you promise not to mention it could be haunted when you met your new neighbor.

There was a bad taste in your mouth as you closed your phone. What if weird shit started happening? Did that mean you’d have to leave your new neighbor to fend for themselves?

In the end, you decided to make up for it by giving your new neighbor a nice welcoming present.

But what could you even give?

Well, you did have that extra limited edition Saitama figure, but who the heck gave a 150,000 won figure away as a welcoming gift to some stranger? Besides, you didn’t need your new neighbor to know that you were a hard core otaku.

You decided to give them two of the spare jars of kimchi your mom had given you on your last visit home. (She always gave you more food than you could ever eat alone.)

You were about to step out the door dressed in your sweatpants and oversized One Piece sweatshirt when you realized you were not appropriately dressed to greet anyone.

It took you nearly 45 minutes to make yourself look decent. Your brushed out your hair and wore a simple gray sweater and some jeans. You judged yourself for really trying this hard, but you also had to remind yourself that your neighbor probably did not need to know you didn’t have you life together.

You finally walked up to your neighbor's door and knocked. You stood around for a good thirty seconds and no one answered. You knocked again, and again no one answered. At that point, you leaned your ear against the door to try and hear if anyone was on the other side of that wall, but you heard nothing but silence.

Your new neighbor was not home. Great. Just. Great.

You decided to walk back into your house and just give the kimchi to them another time.

With your sour mood, you defaulted to sit out on your patio which was overcrowded with dead plants. It was a small space but it was big enough to hold a swinging chair. You sat completely drained of energy and started to sketch in your sketchbook.

You had been so focused on doodling that you didn’t notice there was a cat on your balcony until it landed straight on your sketchbook.

It meowed up at you and you nervously lifted a hand for it to know your scent and get used to you. The small cat start lapping at your fingers with the thick bristles of its tongue and you laughed at how it tickled.

“You lost, buddy?” you asked it, knowing it couldn’t respond. This cat was obviously lost, there was no other reason for it to be on your patio. You pet the cat’s head and ruffled its ears as it purred. You lifted it up and checked its collar. The name tag read “Rooney”.

When you flipped the tag over, you saw the owner’s name inscribed on the back. Hi! This is Kang Daniel, if you found my cat please call me!

You quickly dialed the number and waited.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Daniel-ssi, I found your cat.”

His tone immediately perked up from there. He kept on thanking you for a good two minutes before he actually asked you where you were. You gave him your apartment building’s address and he started to laugh.

“Is something funny?”

“No, no. I just moved there today. I guess Rooney isn’t used to the new place.”

“Oh, you’re my new neighbor then. I’m in apartment 101, right next to yours.”

“I’ll be right over, thank you so much for finding her.”

You had no chance to protest on him coming over to your door. You looked around and saw how messy your house was. There was no way you were letting him come inside. You cradled Rooney in one arm as you grabbed a paper bag and threw in the jars of kimchi you’d planned to give him.

By the time you were done, he was buzzing at you door.

You rushed to door and looked through the peep hole. You squeaked at the sight of your new neighbor.

He was hot. There was no other way to get that through. Like sure, there were a lot of good looking people out there, but this guy was one of the best looking boys you’d seen in a LONG time.

His soft looking pale brown hair and chiseled chin had you drooling, but you had to remind yourself to behave like a proper human being as your shaky hands opened the door.

“Rooney!” the boy shouted as he reached for his cat. Rooney quickly jumped out of your arms and into Daniel’s.

Dammit he was even more handsome face to face and you wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

You waited until Daniel was done reconnecting with his cat before you greeted him. He bowed to you in apology as he hugged and petted Rooney. You could only smile at his concern over his cat, because it was really cute how much he cared.

You held out the paper bag full of the kimichi jars as you blocked the view to your apartment. “This is a welcoming gift. I wanted to give it to you earlier but you weren’t home.”

“Oh! Thank you so much!” he gave a shy laugh, showing off his eye smile as Rooney perched on his shoulder. “I wasn’t home because I was too busy looking for this kiddo.”

You nodded and smiled at him, understanding why he was out of breath over the phone now. He was probably searching as hard as he could for his cat.

Before you had to make up some excuse as to why he couldn’t come into your apartment, Daniel bid you goodbye, thanking you one more time. He quickly darted off to his apartment and you realized you hadn’t been breathing properly the whole time.

As you lay in bed thinking about your hot neighbor, you deliberated over how you wanted to deal with said hot neighbor. Like obviously you couldn’t treat him the same way as you treated the old granny neighbors you’d had for the past year and half. But how would you go about approaching him?

In the end, you decided you were going to try and be Daniel’s friend. Not just because he was cute, but because he seemed like a genuinely nice person.

The next day was a Sunday. You weren’t planning to really do much today, except you overhead Daniel say he was going to a friend’s place because he had some stuff he still had to pick up from there when you were having breakfast on your balcony.  

You smiled on this opportunity because it meant you had a chance to spruce up your house without him having to see you lug a bunch of trash and dead plants out of it.

You weren’t always fast but when you needed to, you got shit done. In three hours, you’d cleared away all the junk from your apartment that you didn’t need. All the clothes were cleaned and folded. All the wrappers and empty cartons were thrown. All the plates, cups, and cutlery were washed and put away. All the character figures on your shelves were dusted. For once, your apartment looked pristine.

Now what you needed to do was go out and buy some new plants for your patio. 

When you were getting dressed, you saw the drastic difference in the amount of sweat clothes you owned versus the normal clothes you owned.

You decided you might as well buy new nice clothes while you go plant shopping.

That night you hauled back half a wardrobe of cute clothes, some new makeup and skincare products, and three easy-to-care-for plants.

When you stared at the giant pile of things in your living room, it made you wonder why the hell you were doing all this. But also why it made you feel so good.

On Monday, you went to school wearing one of your new outfits. A blue chiffon blouse, black blazer, and short shorts. This was the first time in a long time you’d actually bothered to make yourself look good on a day that wasn’t an interview day and, of course, it raised eyebrows.

Your friends wondered what had gotten into you and you just told them it might just be time for a change as you walked the campus grounds with a bounce in your step.

Something, or rather someone caught your eye, and you immediately stopped. Daniel? He went to the same school as you? How had you not seen him in your three and half years going here?

You hesitated on whether or not you should try talking to your new neighbor, but you decided against it since he seemed to be having a deep conversation with a tall actor looking guy.

Then, you saw him again, except this time at the bus stop which would take you both back to your apartments.

You still weren’t going to be the first one to make contact, so you pretended to not notice him as you scrolled through your phone.

Daniel tapped you on the shoulder and started talking to you. It was basic small talk. Exchanging why you were there. Figuring out you both went to the same campus. What departments and majors both of you were in. After a while, there wasn’t really anything left to talk about and awkward silence filled the air as both of you waited for the bus to arrive.

You sat next to Daniel on the ride home because it would be weird to just sit apart after having a long conversation. But neither of you was speaking to the other.

You figured it would be a long ride home until your phone notified you that the chapter of the hottest manga out right now had just updated.

It was as if you were in your own world as you opened up the latest chapter and read the contents of the pages. Your foot tapped nervously as the ground and your face didn’t hide anything as you read through the chapter in horror.

The main villain had pulled out his biggest attack when the chapter ended. You had to restrain yourself from letting out and inhuman noise as you saw the last panel.

Daniel tapped your shoulder again and you suddenly remembered you were sitting next to your hot neighbor.

Great, you just had a serious face journey over a manga next to the neighbor you were trying to be friends with.

Except Daniel didn’t seem to care about the face journey, he asked if you were a fan of that manga.

You had to stop yourself from making a snide remark since Daniel didn’t really know you.

Were you a fan? This was only your life!

It hadn’t even been two days and you were already having to let go of your normal person image. But that didn’t matter, because you were in fangirl mode.

You told Daniel EVERYTHING and for some reason his eyes seemed to light up the more you blabbered on and on about plots and theories. You were even shushed by the other people on the bus when you and Daniel were laughing too loud.

It turned out that Daniel liked anime and manga a lot too - maybe not as much as you - but enough to hold up a decent conversation with you.

That was the main reason that the two of you started growing closer.

It started off as you two meeting up at your house and watching anime on your flatscreen. He once asked about the figures on your shelves and how you collected so many. When you told him, the process and how much it cost for you to get your hands on those figures, his eyes bugged out.

For some reason, your otaku nature didn’t bother him one bit and you found it highly amusing.

You could wear all your baggy clothes and anime T-shirts around Daniel and he didn’t seem the slightest bit put off.

You loved going over to his apartment to play with Rooney and Peter, who seemed to adopt you as their other human.

Either you guys were hanging out at your place or his.

The two of you had grown so comfortable around each other that you spent time together, even on campus.

On Wednesdays you two would get lunch together.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays you’d wait for him to finish dance practice before you two took the bus home.

He would tell you what he honestly thought of your paintings and you would tell him honestly what you thought of his dance routines.

Your lives had began to blur together, it was weird for you to think back to a time you didn’t know Daniel.

Your friends and his friends began to intermingle and you all went on a big outings together.

One time all of you went to a museum for someone’s birthday. It started off just fine but you all realized that it would be impossible to keep the giant group of you together. So everyone broke off into pairs.

You and Daniel were like a default pairing at this point. The two of you broke off away from the rest and roamed the museum by yourselves.

Daniel had gone to the restroom at one point so you waited for him by a fossil display. You were scanning the crowd randomly, looking around as you waited.

Your eyes came across someone you’d rather not see and your heart stopped.

Jeon Wonwoo had been your crush for the first year and a half for college. You two were in a lot of the same classes and somehow always sat next to one another. Then fate pushed it even further and paired the two of you up for a project. You fumbled your way through, hoping it might lead somewhere more, but Jeon Wonwoo had always brushed you off. Even when you tried everything to hold up a decent conversation.

You liked him so much it had made you jaded towards liking other people.

It almost made you laugh because your feelings for the boy were so superficial and only ended up getting you hurt.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked when he got back from the restroom. He waved a hand in front of your eyes to break your stare.

“Nothing,” you lied as a crappy feeling washed over you.

Seeing Wonwoo again, despite the fact that you were over him, made you feel like shit. The whole rest of the day you were sort of silent and unresponsive as the rest of your friends had fun.

That night, as you as Daniel took a cab home, he took your hand and asked you again. “What’s wrong?”

You didn’t know how to bring it up to him.

You couldn’t say, Hey, I just saw the dude I’d been crushing on for over a year and it short of bums be me because what if we ended up like that.

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

After that, Daniel stopped asking. He let you snuggle up next to his arms and fall asleep as the the cab drove the two of you back to your apartments.

The next day Daniel showed up to your house early in the morning (at noon) with take out and a box of your favorite sweets.

“They told you didn’t they?” you asked, knowing your friends had probably texted Daniel to explain to him why you were acting this way.

“Why didn’t you just tell me you saw your ex?”

You wanted to scream. “He’s not my ex...He’s just…” you hesitated before realizing you should tell Daniel the truth. “He’s just someone I had a crush on for the longest time and it obviously didn’t end well.”

“Well, it sucks to to suck, he missed out on an amazing person.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course!”

“You’re the best, you know that?”

“Of course,” he answered, shooting you a cheeky rabbit smile.

You two spent that whole day together snuggled up under one of your big blankets, surrounded by soft pillows.

Rooney and Peter were running around somewhere under those sheets and you laughed at their antics.

It made you stop for a second and take in just how much of your apartment had been altered because of Daniel.

You’d gotten a litter box for Rooney and Peter. You stocked up your fridge with enough food for twelve people. You had random boxes of jellies lying around for Daniel. You’d even bought special pillows so the two of you could sit down in front of your TV and watch it properly.

What were you to Daniel? What was Daniel to you?

Were you two just good friends? Or was there possibly something more?

Part of you wanted an answer, but part of you was scared again.

You knew Daniel wouldn’t brush you off like Wonwoo had, but to think of you and Daniel not being as close as you were now? That made you legitimately scared.

If you told him you liked him, would it change all of this?

Your mind went through scenario after scenario before deciding to say nothing and stay friends with Daniel for as long as you could.

You regretted your decision.

Because people would never stop approaching you and Daniel asking if you two were dating. It hurt you to say no every time.

It was even worse when people flirted with Daniel and you had no legitimate reason to be mad.

Sometimes you ended up avoiding Daniel to keep your feelings in check and you knew you hurt his feelings when you did.

It went on like this for two months until you decided you couldn’t do this.

In keeping yourself from telling him you liked him, you did the one thing you were trying to avoid.

You had decided you were going to go to his apartment to tell him, when Daniel started banging on your door.

He had a bag of clothes throw in a duffle bag over his shoulder and Rooney and Peter in either of his hands. He looked terrified as he gave you big, sad puppy eyes.

“Going somewhere?” you questioned, hoping he wasn’t leaving town.

“Why did you tell me someone died in my apartment?” he whined, lamely pointing a finger at his door.

You were genuinely lost for a second. “Huh?”

Daniel looked like he was about to cry when he told you he’d overheard the lady who lived below him say the last tenant of his apartment had died in it.

“So, you’re leaving?” You gestured to the bag slung across his shoulder.

“No…I thought I could stay with you…”

So that’s why he was knocking so hard. “Get in here, you big baby,”

Daniel set his bags down over by the edge of the couch and you went to go prepare dinner for the two of you. 1

It seemed like just another normal moment when the two of you were together, but your nerves started to get the better of you as he watched how comfortably he sat on your sofa and scrolled through your TV.

When you set out the food, he came over as quickly and sat down at what had become His Seat™.

You made sure to give Peter and Rooney food as well before joining Daniel at the dining table.

“Why have you been avoiding me lately?” he asked, breaking the silence after shoving food into his face. 

You set down your spoon, looking away from his eyes as you spoke. “I was actually meaning to talk to you about that…”

Daniel reached out a hand and placed it over yours. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

You looked him in the eyes, hoping you didn’t look as scared as you felt. “I like you.”

“Huh?” he asked, seeming taken aback by your sudden confession. 

You gulped at his reaction.“I like you, Kang Daniel,” you repeated. “Please don’t make me say it again.”

“That’s it?”

“What?” It was your turn to be thrown for a loop. Did he just say ‘That’s it?’ while you were laying your heart out?

“That’s all you had to say?”

“What do you mean that’s all I had to say?” Your voice rose as you got to your feet genuinely angry with Daniel for acting as if your confession was no big deal. 

Daniel stood up and walked over to you. He licked his lips as if they were dry and looked down at you with a nervous smile. 

“Well, I saw you change out the dead plants to fresh ones when I moved in. And you cleaned up your apartment too. So, I figured you probably liked me.”

“Oh my god.” You were mortified. So he HAD noticed all that. 

He held up his hands as he spoke, “It’s okay! It’s not like my apartment is any better.”

“Shut up, Daniel!” You choked out as you were trying not to die of embarrassment. 

“If it’s any consolation, I like you, too.” he whispered, pushing back a strand of your hair. 

Your face was on fire as you glared and pouted up at him. How could he be so cute and so infuriating? 

You tip-toed and kissed him to let out your anger. 

There were no fireworks or sparks or anything of that sort.

Just a calmness that soothed all the tension that had been digging into you while Rooney and Peter darted and played between your ankles. 

Bonus:

“Here,” you said as you handed him the 150,000 won Saitama you decided not to give him. “This was your original welcome present, but I didn’t want you to know I was an otaku. Now, Saitama can be like your guardian statue, warding off whatever ghost might linger.”

“No thanks, I think I’ll just stay here.” Daniel placed the box back into your hands.

You looked up at him slightly annoyed, “You’re going to have to go back to your apartment eventually.”

“But I don’t want to…,” he said as he shivered, giving you puppy eyes once again.

Daniel perked up when an idea popped into his head. “You know, we should just look for a bigger apartment! One we could share!”

You tried not to freak out over the fact that he’d suggested you two start living together. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. I literally just confessed to you, plus you haven’t even asked me to be your girlfriend.”

“I thought that was just implied.” He just shrugged and laughed. You rolled your eyes but you learned to accept his antics.

From that day on you two started dating for real, and just like Daniel wanted, you did look into bigger apartments- ones which had a very low chance of being haunted.

[the-record-columns]

Jan. 8, 2020: Columns

Cold water and olive oil...

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

Usually it is wintertime before I recount the story of the bitter cold day when I was at Harold’s Restaurant over on Hwy 115 just across the top of what for years was affectionately known as Liquor Hill in North Wilkesboro.

I had asked the late Harold Call for a Band-Aid for my sore thumb and he asked me what had happened to it. I told him I had bumped it on the car door as I got out coming into the restaurant and it was killing me-and that it would be killing me all winter. I went on to tell Harold that it was cracked open by the dry winter weather so badly it looked like there was a hot coal inside my thumb and I could even feel my heart beat in my thumb as I suffered.

And my mother knew, my daddy the preacher knew, my brothers know, and all my wives know–I do not suffer very well. And certainly not in silence.

Well, on that fateful day, Harold, or Dr. Call as we called him, smiled broadly, handed me a Band-Aid, and said, “All you have to do is wash your hands in cold water all winter and your problem will go away.”

That seemed just too easy, but it worked–perfectly–and changed my winters for all time. As time went on Harold relayed many home remedies to me that were simple, safe, and they worked. We lost our friend Harold Call a few years ago. He was a truly wonderful man and everyone who was fortunate enough to know him misses him every day.

Which brings me to today’s story:

Many times in this space I recount a visit from someone who stopped by The Record and Thursday Printing’s offices. Sometime back, a man who introduced himself as Fletcher Jones from Boomer stopped in. He immediately went to the banjo on the counter, a very rare short scale 5-string banjo, and picked it up. He held it like it was an infant and plunked out a few notes. We began to talk, and I learned he was a musician who could play many things including the piano. I, of course, love my piano, and asked him to play something for me. He held up his hands, and I could see that they were badly gnarled with arthritis, but he said he would try. After he played for a while, I remarked that I would have loved to hear him earlier, because, even with his crippled hands, he played remarkably well. Mr. Jones was a fascinating guy and I very much enjoyed our expanded visit that day.

Fast forward to several months later, and Mr. Jones returned. I felt sure it was him, but something was so different and I chose not to say his name. He didn’t mention his name again either, so finally I asked him to remind me who he was. “Why, Fletcher Jones,” he replied, “I’ve been in here before.” I assured him that I remembered him well, but frankly I remembered his hands looking markedly different before. He proudly held out both his hands and his fingers were in unbelievably better condition. I honestly do not know how to adequately describe the improvement.

When I asked him what he had done, he told me a story. He said that not long after he was in our office he was at a store holding the door open for his wife to enter. As he held the door a stranger noticed his twisted hand and asked if he could speak to him for a moment. That stranger told him to begin taking a large spoonful of olive oil each morning and his hands would very likely get better.

Skeptical, but willing to try most anything that appeared safe, he began the olive oil regimen. As the months passed by, his hands began to get better, and better. He said it was almost like a miracle, the transformation he had watched right before his very eyes, and went on to say he was planning to take a large spoonful of olive oil every day for the rest of his life.

His eyes sparked when I asked him to play my piano again, and he set it on fire. Truly it was a blessing to see Fletcher smile and play that day. I told him the “cracked fingers” story and about my friend Harold Call.

After he left I couldn’t help but think that Dr. Call would be proud of this one.

United we stand

By AMBASSADOR EARL COX and KATHLEEN COX

Special to The Record

Despite denials, for many years Iran has been hard at work building its nuclear infrastructure and perfecting it conventional weapons capabilities.  They’ve also been busy “winning friends and influencing others” as they form alliances with China, Russia, Syria and others who embrace their brand of Islam and their hatred of America.

Likewise, Israel has not been asleep at the wheel. Knowing that a serious confrontation with Iran was a distinct possibility, Israel has been training her army and air force to be mission capable at a moment’s notice and to be flexible enough to handle changing hostile environments without missing a beat. “Peace through strength” has always been the Israeli creed and it’s been backed up by their strong, and sometimes daring, actions.

In recent days, Iran put an $80 million dollar contract on the life of U.S. President Donald Trump for ordering the targeted killing of the world’s worst known terrorists, Qasem Solimani, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  This took Iran by surprise and they have vowed to retaliate.  Furthermore, Iran has vowed to strike Israel if the United States retaliates against Iran for what they are threatening to send our way.  All of this rhetoric has placed Iran in a very precarious position because, in the Middle East, idle threats are a clear sign of weakness.  To save face, Iran must act.

Israel is fully prepared, armed and ready.  Iran will think twice before sending missiles in her direction.  In addition, when under threat, the people of Israel know the importance of forming a united front. For this reason, many Israelis are standing with Prime Minister Netanyahu despite the fact that he has been indicted (but not convicted) for alleged fraud, bribery and corruption.  Israel knows that united they stand.  America needs to learn this same lesson very, very quickly as Iran will exploit America’s division to America’s own detriment.  It’s time for the Democrats to put away their open and very public hatred for Trump and instead form a united front against America’s enemy.  There is no Democrat boat or Republican boat.  We are all in the same boat and it’s the one on which Iran has trained her sights. Divided we fall but, united we stand. 

The Don Gibson with Spiders and Snakes

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas  

Not so long ago, we were in production at the Don Gibson Theatre in Shelby, for one of our Carolina Theater Trail broadcast segments. The general idea of these segments is to highlight theaters in the Carolinas that have historical significance and are producing shows regularly.

The Don Gibson Theatre certainly meets our requirements. The Art Deco style building initially opened as the State Theater on October 27th, 1939. That was the same year that now-iconic movies such as The Yellow Brick Road, Gone with The Wind, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, The Hunch Back of Notre Dame, It’s a Wonderful Life and Stagecoach hit the big screen.

This was also a time when you had the opportunity to meet one of the stars at the theater possibly. It was great promotion for the theater and the movie. Just imagine going to the movies and meeting one of your favorite cowboy actors. It was quite the show for sure.

Things do change over the years, and so it was with the State Theater which would become The Flick theater in the mid-late '70s. The building would also have other lives before setting empty with an uncertain fate. That is until a group of concerned citizens came together to create a plan that would help revitalize the area and celebrate two of the area’s musical legends, Don Gibson and Earl Scruggs.

In time, the old courthouse on Shelby's town square would become the now-celebrated Earl Scruggs Center and the State Theater, with its Art Deco style, would become The Don Gibson Theatre that now hosts approximately 100 shows and events per year.

Stan Lowery, General Manager of the Don Gibson Theatre, shared that while there have been challenges, the victories have been far more significant. Stan recalled that the first movie he saw at the State Theater was the Jungle Book, which came out in 1967. Now that he books around 30 national acts a year for the Don Gibson Theatre, he sees firsthand the value of providing well know entertainment for the community.  

As it turns out, during the day of our production at the Don Gibson the evening’s entertainment was a Song Writer’s in the Round program featuring Jim Stafford, Walt Aldridge, and Lenny LeBlanc.

The three of them have written many well-known songs; however, it would be Jim Stafford that we would spend time with on camera.

While Jim is an excellent songwriter, he is also a great entertainer with dynamic timing. Our interview with Jim was a heartfelt and laughter filled walk down memory lane.

It’s hard to watch one of his television appearances and not smile or laugh when he sings one of his hits like Spiders and Snakes, Wildwood Weed or The Swamp Witch.

Regarding writing, he said he did not have a specific method or muse, it was “Butt powered; Sitting on your butt and just doing it.” The Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson Mo., has been going for over 30 years. Now in his mid-70’s, he still loves the music and putting on the show. He shared many great stories in our interview.

With all his years of writing and entertainment, I found it interesting that his appearance at the Don Gibson Theater was his first participation in a Song Writers in the Round performance. I ask him why he did it. He said, “Someone called, and it sounded like a good idea. So, I said yes, and here I am.”

As I watched the show at the Don Gibson, the three songwriters shared their stories and talents for an admiring audience, and I thought about all the people who have laughed, cried and set on the edge of their seats in anticipation as they watched the entertainment in front of them.

From the State Theater to the Don Gibson Theatre, you could not count the emotions if you tried but we can count ticket sales, and that’s a good thing.

 Carl White is the Executive Producer and Host of the award-winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In The Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its 10th year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturday’s at noon and My 12. The show also streams on Amazon Prime. For more information visit www.lifeinthecarolinas.com. You can email Carl at Carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com.

[donnabroadway]

Jussie, Jussie, Jussie

Jussie girl or as the internet likes to call him, Bussie, what were you thinking?

I always thought the situation was weird because a, who sits in an airport for seven hours, hungry with a lot of available choices, drives from said airport past dozens of restaurants, probably three of which were Subways, only to come home and decide to go back out in Arctic weather to get something to eat at 2.am after a long day of traveling? So let's say he decided to save money and eat at home and found there was no food; he couldn't order room service? Uber eats? Postmates? Send his assistant out to get it? It may just be me, but if I'm tired and it's cold, hunger can wait a few hours. But, eh; stranger things have happened but it just doesn’t make sense. Second, why would these random, Maga hat wearing, noose carrying, bleach having, attackers, know that Jussie, the Empire actor, would randomly be walking past to get a tuna sandwich and/or salad at 2 a.m.? It was a week night and people had work the next day. Plus it's too cold for foolishness. third, doesn’t bleach freeze at -19°and it was way colder than that? And fourth, little Jussie fought off these big, buff men, and not only lived to tell about it, but didn’t drop his phone or sandwich and walked back to his hotel and ate his sandwich, covered in bleach with a noose around his neck and bruises on his face? If I was attacked, the last thing on my mind would be food, but that's just me. And if we want to add a fifth point, how was he able to sing and dance so well just a few days after being  in a fight and having bruised ribs? So everyone saying, why believe the CPD, they’re so corrupt explain Jussie’s actions? In the words of the great Monique, make it make sense. I watch a lot of crime shows and the thing that often gets people caught up is their own actions. If the CPD were setting Jussie up, and someone explain to me why they would set him up, especially when HE called THEM? The CPD had a lot to gain by covering up the shooting of Laquan McDonald but very little to gain by setting up Jussie Smollett.

My theory is that Jussie set himself up but didn’t think everything would blow up like it did. I think Jussie set up the attack to raise his social currency, promote his music, and possibly get fired from Empire. I know it’s weird but I don’t think it was salary he was disputing; I think Jussie was so sloppy because he wanted to be fired. I listened to his Breakfast Club interview from a few months back and I got the feeling he was tired of playing Jamal, that he felt boxed in by his contract, and wanted to promote himself and his music, not Empire’s music. I think he planned the stunt to get fired, promote his music, or raise his social capital so much that he gets so many other jobs that he no longer has to play Jamal. I think he didn’t expect the CPD to actually investigate and trace the breadcrumbs back him. Maybe he thought they would write a police report; do some light police work, and forget about the case. I know many people who file police reports and nothing comes out of it and that’s probably what he thought would happen but the case blew up so big that they had to investigate.

A check? In the Lord’s year of 2019, a check? Girl. That’s why I think Jussie did it to be fired because no one is that dumb or sloppy by mistake. Also, if you believe that 3500 was for that basic meal plan and training advice, the defense is doing a good job casting doubt. He paid $600 a week for that and the man wasn't even training him or cooking for him, just giving advice. I find better diet and exercise tips on Instagram or Pinterest, for free. And if he is telling the truth, all I can say is a fool and his money, smh. Also, is there a record of him firing the brothers after he found out they attacked him? It just doesn't make sense. And if true, the brothers are dumb for going along with it but probably saw a quick payday and were willing to go along with it until Jussie threw them under the bus.

I will say this, the truth always comes out and if it comes out that Jussie was really attacked and he's not lying, I will write a new post, with the same energy, apologizing because that will mean I’m wrong and if I’m wrong, I have no problem apologizing.

This reminds me of the story of the woman having her baby eaten by a Dingo and no one believed her. They even arrested, tried, and incarcerated her for murder only to find out her story was true. They found the coat she said he daughter was wearing, by the Dingo’s lair, bloodied and torn. So if Jussie is telling the truth, it will come out. He's paying lawyers for a reason and all they have to do is play strategy, cast doubt, and play the evidence in his favor.

[213hiphopworldnews]

In Light Of Damning Documentaries, Why Are So Many People Still Listening To Michael Jackson And R. Kelly?

Getty Image

In a recent essay for The Nation, David Hajdu recalls listening to Michael Jackson for the first time since watching Leaving Neverland, the HBO documentary detailing the pop star’s alleged sexual abuse of young boys. He is on the subway when he listens, and though he has earbuds in, his fellow passengers can hear Jackson’s music coming from his phone. “What are you thinking?” asks a stranger, as if the act of listening to Michael Jackson, once so ordinary, has now become a mark of turpitude, an indication of deep and willful apathy to the reported suffering of children.

If listening to Jackson’s songs after the Leaving Neverland revelations is a symptom of moral lapse, it is a common one. “The deafening backlash to the film by Jackson’s estate and diehard fans appears to have boosted his catalog,” reported the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this month. In the week after Leaving Neverland‘s release, “the “Billie Jean” singer … posthumously sold 6,000 albums and 13,000 song downloads … with streams of his songs jumping nearly 300,000 to 16.5 million.”

R. Kelly, another artist in recent headlines for allegedly sexually abusing minors, saw a parallel boost after an interview with Gayle King where he vehemently denied the accusations that have shadowed his star for the past 19 years. The interview followed the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly, which aired in January. In the week after the interview, radio play of Kelly’s songs surged 71 percent. “His videos got a slick uptick with 9.5 million views (up 3 percent), while his song streams and downloads fell 1 percent and 16 percent, respectively,” reported the Sun-Times. “His album sales (1,000 copies moved) remained consistent both weeks.”

An optimistic reading of the data suggests that fans of both artists were, like Hajdu, listening to beloved music not out of apathy but out of a will to self-discovery, to see how the music hits in light of newly clarified and harrowing information. A more skeptical interpretation points to an immune response flaring up within each artist’s fanbase. A fan, by nature, is defined by the love of a pop star’s music, and when a threat looms over that bond, the fan might reinscribe their identity by listening to the music they love. They might voice tacit support to an artist accused of horrible things by pressing play on the artist’s discography.

Over the past few years, during what has been branded the #MeToo era, some famous men accused of sexual abuse have fallen from grace and others have not. Musicians seem particularly immune to the concrete repercussions that have fallen on even high profile actors, like Kevin Spacey, who was ousted from a starring role on Netflix’s House Of Cards after reports that he had sexually assaulted teenage boys. Last year, Spotify made a feeble attempt to clear certain musicians accused of abuse — namely XXXTentacion — from their promoted playlists, only to drop the policy after facing pushback from Kendrick Lamar’s record label Top Dawg Entertainment.

Music — especially pop music, centered on the voice — supplies an intimacy not found in more representational art like film and television. The voice rises up from the body, imprints on tape or data, and reverberates in the listener’s eardrum — a body to body connection. Because music is particularly ambiguous, it invites a deep emotional attachment. Listening to a song, it is easy to feel like it is being sung for you, or that you are the one singing it. Music curls up in the body and makes its home there, which may be why it’s so difficult to root it out. But pop music arrives at the body through a system of immense power, the titanic machinations of celebrity and wealth, which more often than not lends itself to abuse. There is the music that crawls into the ear, and there are the platinum records whose sales enable violence. It can be difficult to superimpose the two.

When a fan hears the bad news, it’s often easier to deny decades of accusations than to amputate the part of the body that harbors loyalty toward a favorite artist. It is often more palatable to freeze than to feel the pain of loss, especially in the case of Michael Jackson, where the music is all that’s left of him. When you have taken a stranger so deeply into yourself it can be hard to accept that the stranger has harmed others, that what you carry around inside you actually comes from a poisoned source. So you assert what you love is still pure. You slough off the bad news and press play.

Or you reckon, as Hajdu did, with the notion that a harmful person can insulate violence with beauty. “People think his music’s great, so he’s great,” one of Jackson’s alleged victims, James Safechuck, said in Leaving Neverland. “For me, Jackson’s music sounds different now, and not quite so great anymore,” Hajdu wrote. “It’s the same, aurally, of course, but it’s been reshaped in my mind by a new set of associations. Where I once found high theatricality in songs like “Thriller” and “Heal The World,” I now hear falseness and empty show. Where I found warmth in love songs like “Human Nature” and “Loving You,” I’m now reminded of the contortions Jackson went through to exploit his victims’ ardor.”

It is painful to let a song you love putrefy inside you, and many turn to music for its capacity to alleviate pain. Even in light of the most convincing confessions of survival, fans might insist that their music is theirs, and rewrite the stories they’ve heard to bolster that attachment. Music can connect the listener to the world and it can shelter them from it. In the wake of Surviving R. Kelly and Leaving Neverland, it seems many fans are choosing shelter.

source https://uproxx.com/music/michael-jackson-r-kelly-sexual-abuse-streaming-increase/

[maxximillian]

How to Interview People — Tips and Best Practices

We (as interviewers) were given some basic guidelines on interview technique (but not content) then instructed to come up with questions, write up our show notes and then, later that same day, we had to interview our ‘guest’ live as another budding journalist produced the episode on the fly in a multi-screen studio built into a corner of the set, directing and simultaneously producing a segment from the live feeds of 3 studio cameras, each with a live operator.

With the studio full of people but silent, the spotlights on me and my interview guest, darkness obscuring everything except for the human being sitting before me with shadows; I remember the intense feeling of being hyper aware of ‘the present moment’. Unexpectedly, it was mildly shocking. It was in that moment that I understood the dynamic of an interview situation, and the need for preparation and notes. I was relieved I had both. I took my time, allowing a moment of silence between my guest’s answers and my responses. I was having a deliberate conversation with a purpose to achieve and it felt good to feel myself achieving it along with my interview guest’s palpable enjoyment of our conversation. Very empowering. (Similar to that feeling for a comedian of making someone laugh when you set out to.)

These days my journalistic influence is NPR. I’ve made a study of NPR’s journalistic styles because I enjoy the way their various shows present their stories. Ira Glass and the other journalists presenting their interview pieces on THIS AMERICAN LIFE have been my unwitting teachers for the past 10 years as I’ve hungrily consumed their excellent content. This summer I’m launching my newest podcast Maxximillian Presents: THEMATIC — at its essence, it’s interviews with people.

To prepare myself for this, and to brush up on my skills, I paid for an online course from CreativeLive called Power Your Podcast With Storytelling — I highly and personally recommend this course, by the way.

I wrote about it here, if you think you might be interested in taking some of their free courses (taught by experts) yourself, check it out!

I told you about my love for THIS AMERICAN LIFE so who better to learn from than the man himself, the show’s long-time producer Alex Blumberg—his class Power Your Podcast With Storytelling was very helpful and instructive on how to recognize where the story is in your subject (the person you’re interviewing); he also does an interview with a live person from beginning to end (‘end’ being a produced interview segment). He illustrates his process of discovering the best angle to present the story from, and takes you through discovering the richest part of the story your guest has to offer. Alex also teaches how to plan an interview. Seriously, I can’t recommend this course enough. It’s a game-changer.

To date, I’ve interviewed singer-songwriters, authors, other journalists and writer-directors, actors, data analysts, U.S. veterans retired from active duty in Afghanistan, executive producers, music producers, fiction writers, random interesting strangers, anonymous people in the foodservice industry, video game authors, registered nurses, ER personnel, prostitutes—mid-range and fancy ones, and the homeless and many others, in varying ranges of intimacy. (If you’d like to have a listen, to some upcoming episodes, here’s the link.)

Most recently I interviewed ‘regular folks’ (there’s really no such thing) about their so-called average lives for a show I’m writing. My television series that I interviewed them for is a plot-driven show but I feel I can offer my audience more if I bring into the lives of my characters some ‘problems of life’ and illustrate through the triumphs of my characters how to successfully solve those problems.

There’s a couple I know—they always wow me with their stories. One story in particular, a story they told me about their adventures surrounding a house they once rented including a slumlord landlord to rival any villain, caught in my craw, and I realized that this couple’s trials and tribulations could service the main characters of my plot-driven show. The real life couple’s real life ‘problems of life’ situations would give my fictional characters a fuller life. Having petty antagonistic domestic dramas and plumbing malfunctions in the midst of a political-social revolt seemed to me to be just the thing to bring everyday familiarity to an ‘out-there’ narrative—because bad neighbors are still bad neighbors, even in the middle of a war. The rotten neighbors are still going to play their music too loud and let their dog poop in your yard even in the midst of chaos, and that is the kind of stuff that is missing sometimes in plot-driven stories. I’d been looking for a way to bring character intimacy into my story and from the minute I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks as I laughed at the antics of their evil landlord and rotten neighbors, I knew: I have to convince them to let me tell their story.

Here’s what I did…

When I left them that night, as soon as I was alone, before I could forget, I jotted down all the parts of their story I could recall that I knew I wanted to hear more about. I wrote it longhand using 2-3 word phrases and bullet points. After writing down all I could remember, I transcribed it to Evernote. (There is also a new note taking app called Bear Writer that’s worth a look, incredibly lovely app. If you’d like to hear a few reasons why I love it, give a listen to July’s first episode of the Audio Drama Production Podcast (ADPP) about writing software where I dish on all my favorite apps for professional writing of all kinds.)

Next, I sent each a text message asking if I could stop by for a short visit to ask them something. In person, as soon as I arrived, I told them something like, “That story you told me about your landlord… I think it would make a great storyline for two characters in the television series I’m writing. Would you be willing to let me interview you?”

They said yes.

On our interview date, I jumped right in. I began by reminding them that I’d like for them to tell me about their house rental experiences. When they asked where to begin, I said to “begin where the problems began” and it worked out well. Whenever they got to a part in the story where backstory was needed, they filled it in—they did this naturally without any prompting from me. (I think it was best to do this rather than to ask them to “begin at the beginning” because that may have extended beyond the scope of my interest: the slumlord badness.)

Before I hit record, I let them know that I would record the conversation but not to think about that, just to speak naturally. My general rundown that I tell show guests (and anyone I interview) is this…

•     Nobody is going to hear this unedited recording except for me.

•      I won’t publish any part of this interview (unless it’s for the show, then I don’t say that—they want to be on the show, it’s why we’re recording).

•      Speak freely and know that I’ll only show you in a positive light.

•      If you say something and later think of a better way to say it, tell me so and I’ll use the ‘better’ comment/explanation instead.

•      Even if we’ve moved onto another topic, feel free to return to something we discussed previously if you have something to add.

How To Interview People

All of My best practices…

•     I ask for 50 minutes when interviewing people. Usually this is just the right amount of time to get what I need, or enough to know if I need a separate interview. I never go over the amount of time I ask for. It’s better to ask if they can spare a little more time or ask to schedule a second interview. Respecting people’s time is the number one way to show appreciation, I’ve found: Be on time; leave on time. 

•     I sometimes send questions ahead of time: Usually this is helpful. It gives guests a roadmap of what to expect. I think it’s important that I mention, I make it clear that I don’t want them to email me back their answers, that I’m just letting them know what to expect; I mention that there will be additional questions during the interview that spring from their answers but that these questions (the ones I sent) will definitely be asked. It’s helpful because it gets the guest thinking of the topic and gets their memory juiced up to discuss our topic, in effect priming the guest. It prevents the need for a guest to recall details on the fly during the interview which can result in the guest coming up with a lot of “ummm” and “I don’t know” during the interview. Most importantly, offering a short list of the interview questions puts the guest at ease. Why? Because they can see clearly that they already know the answers to the questions I’ll ask. Even though the interview is about them and they know all the answers, many people have something similar to test-taking anxiety when it comes to interviews where someone knows that they’re being recorded. Guests have thanked me for sending them the questions ahead of time. There are some guests who prefer to talk on the fly, and that’s fine. The interviewer sending the questions ahead of time is a courtesy, but not expected necessarily.

•     On Release Forms: if you don’t need one, don’t bother. Signing contracts make folks nervous sometimes; even a simple release form can be off-putting. Not all situations call for a release form. A few minutes googling the specifics of your project will let you know what’s appropriate. Generally, I haven’t needed one since I’m interviewing people to create a character on a show and I’m not using their voice, name, or likeness in my project. (Unless it’s for the THEMATIC show in which case I am totally using their name, voice and likeness—because they want me to, and it’s expected.) I think it’s worth mentioning that I have myself been a guest on a handful of talk shows and terrestrial radio shows and have never been presented with a release form to sign. YMMV

•     I have found it helpful to send the interview guest an email at 4 days, at 24 hours, and at 1 hour before the interview time with clear links to a map of the location (or the URL if it’s an online meeting along with any instructions for joining the conference—even if they already have it). And 10 minutes before the show time, I send a text basically saying: “Hi, it’s Maxximillian. Looking forward to our interview!”

•     I always show up (at least) 20 minutes ahead of time (even if it’s an online or teleconference meeting—guests sometimes need technical help setting up). And, invariably some people are early; if they are, I want to be there and ready to greet them.

•     Before I begin, I let them know that I haven’t hit record and ask if they have any questions before we begin. (And then I answer all their questions.)

•     I like to have room-temperature bottled water—on hand, at the ready—for myself and for my guest to drink—6 bottles is appropriate for 2 people.

•     If it’s an in person interview, I bring a gift. (My most well-received gifts are the potted rosemary, and basil, plants from Trader Joe’s. Inexpensive and cheerful. It seems even people who don’t cook much love fresh herbs growing on a sunny countertop in their kitchen. It’s also a good universal gift because some don’t drink and others have dietary issues, and everyone can enjoy a plant.)

•     About taking notes: I listen instead of taking notes. My full attention is upon the speaker, I find that I get better stories this way. I start recording, lay my phone down (or set up the mic) then completely ignore the recording device. If you use a voice recording app on your phone, it’s great because people are used to seeing phones lying around. Start it recording, turn off the screen display, lay it down and people will forget that it’s there recording everything. People have told me that they ‘forgot we were recording’ many times after an interview. (I have a shotgun mic by the way—but nobody ever “forgets” that we’re recording when I use this. Even though it’s the same equipment my journalistic spirit animal Alex Blumberg uses (and it makes me feel very professional), it’s impossible to forget that an interview is in progress when it’s in the room. Sometimes invisible equipment is the best; other times the guest wants to feel like they’re doing a ‘real’ interview. My general rule is: if it’s an intimate personal experience someone is sharing, invisible equipment is better. If it’s a story about a passion project or business related, the shotgun microphone is a favorite because it makes people feel ‘like an expert’.

•     When I’ve got all I came for from the interview — according to my notes, remember that bullet point list? — I pack up and thank my interview guest, and go.

•     I don’t offer to let them listen to the unedited interview. People are self-conscious and very few people enjoy listening to themselves talk on a recording.

•     I don’t take on any additional pressure to deliver beyond showing up to do the interview. If I’m publishing the interview, I share the link to their polished interview the day before (or on the same day) that I release it. I never make promises about the project because (and I don’t tell them this) sometimes, that project doesn’t happen all the way or by the date I anticipate—ask me how I know—why add needless pressure making promises?

•     If they ask about the finished project, I promise to keep them updated on the progress of it (and I do)—but ONLY if they ask.

•     I follow up with a physical thank you card whenever possible—email cards just ain’t the same. ( I buy blank notes from a store called HomeGoods and use them exclusively for this purpose. )

•     If I had a good connection with the person, I add them to my personal holiday mailing list and include them in my professional holiday greetings. (Note: I don’t add them to any other mailing list or do any self-promotion in these greetings.)

Would you like a printable checklist? Let me know!

You Can Do It…

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Power Your Podcast With Storytelling taught by Alex Blumberg

  Recent THEMATIC Interview Clips  (small sampling)

Writer-Director Rob McCollum  

Actor-Comedian Eric Schwartz

YA Fiction Author Jayme Beddingfield

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My creative business journalism podcast Maxximillian Presents: THEMATIC is free to listen to and download on iTunes, Stitcher, PocketCasts, BlogTalkRadio, GooglePlay and wherever podcasts are found—and, of course, you’ll find all episodes, show notes, and episode extras on my blog at podcasts.maxximilliandafoe.com.

I hope you’ve found my share helpful. Reach out to me if you feel I can help you in any way. If you’d like to get in touch, stop by anytime and drop me a line on my podcasts home page. 

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  How to Interview People — Tips and Best Practices was originally published on MAXXIMILLIAN DAFOE